Inhalation therapy applicator



June 24, 1941. J, R. WOLFE INHALATION THERAPY APFLICATOR Filed Dec. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fi'ur. l.

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INHALATION THERAPY APPLICATOR Filed Dec. 2a, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. C}. :F Ira: .3

JOHN WOLF/E,

INVENTOR.

H s ATTORNEY.

Patented June 24, 1941 2 Claims.

This. invention relates to the preparation and application of inhalation therapy.

One of the objects of this invention is to reduce the chances of any overcharge by a proper order of the steps of preparation and application.

Another object is to assure a proper predetermined strength of application.

Another object is to provide means that al lows the operation of the apparatus Without wasting costly ingredients.

Another object is to provide means whereby the apparatus can be built up and maintained for instant use.

Another object is to provide an apparatus that is sanitary and practical for reasons of construction. of parts and arrangements made throughout.

Another object is to provide means whereby any surplus or accumulation is not only salvaged but as much as possible prevented from unduly inriching or overcharging the inhalant before it leaves the apparatus.

Another object is tomake the whole apparatus as well as the individual parts suitably accessible equally during the operation and for maintenance, preparatory to and after operations, to maintain the apparatus in a most sanitary and efficient condition.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawings, in which--- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan View of an apparatus, designed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear-side elevation, partly opened to show inside parts.

Fig. 3 is an end-side elevation as seen in the direction of the arrow 3 of Fig. 2, partly broken away to show inside parts.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical midsectional view of the inlet control parts with a portion of an attached purifying container.

Fig, 5 is a fragmentary vertical midsectional View of the temperature control parts with attached container.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical side elevation of a slight modification for supplying additional ingredients from a source not necessarily inside of a standardized construction of apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through the inlet control, as seen on line 1-1 of Fig. 3.

Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are horizontal sections 01 the central parts of the inlet control, illustrating the difierent positions of such parts,

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section throu h the temperature control valve on line l'l-l| of Fig. 5.

Curing by inhalation is no experiment any more so that it should not be necessary to go into details of diseases, disorders, ailments, -or maladies.

Difierent inhalants are well enough known, to be beneficial in certain cases.

It remains to provide the most convenient, effective and efiicient apparatus by which to administer suitable ingredients, or a combination of ingredients, in form of a-proper inhalant, with due regard for the most proper control at all times and under various conditions.

The apparatus, and the invention, disclosed herewith, is intended to satisfy the requirements overv a wide field.

It operates on the principle of administering the medicaments, stimulants, or any suitable ingredients through containers provided for this use. Such containers may hold an inert fluid, such as distilled water, or any other suitable medium in which the required ingredients may be held in suspension, to be picked up or joined by any passing mediumv with which the ingredients may form a proper inhalant that can be suitably utilized.

The passing medium, by which suitable ingredients are picked up, or with which the ingredients join to form the required inhalant, may hereafter preferably be referred to as the basemedium for short.

Any fluid used for the base-medium of any inhalant is preferably sent through a purifying bath preparatory to being mixed with any other useful ingredients in the following steps while passing through the process of this invention by means of the apparatus described herewith.

Fig. 4 illustrates parts of the apparatus by which such preparatory steps may be accomplished.

During the normal operation of the apparatus, the required base-medium is passed into the apparatus in the direction of the arrow l2. Assuming that plain air may be used to be introduced for the base-medium, the amount allowed to enter is controlled by the simple arrangement of a cap 13, provided with apertures I4, which may be brought to align with other apertures 15 in the upper housing portion of the inlet-control of this form of illustration. A turning of the cap I3 with respect to the housing-portion It can be adjusted so that the apertures I l However, inasmuch as an eflicient operation of such an apparatus makes it desirable that a suitable amount of the base-medium be passed through the apparatus to be in a condition ready for mixing with other ingredients for instant use, the cap is provided with a small aperture I! that is open at all times regardless of the setting of the cap.

After passing through the control cap I3, the base-medium enters the upper end 18 of the tube H), which extends to a suitable depth into the bath 20 in the container 2|.

While passing in a downwardly direction through the tube I8 as indicated by the arrow 22, the base-medium has a chance to distribute throughout the larger area of the bath to thereby rise widely distributed and slowly as indicated by the arrows 23, being subjected during this period to a suitable bath.

To prevent any undue amount of moisture to be carried along with the base-medium as it rises from the bath, a bafiie 24 is provided above the bath, by which moisture may be detained and thrown back to the bath.

The purified, or prepared base-medium then passes along the arrow 25 into other sections of the apparatus by way of the'opening 26, indicated in Fig. 2.

Preparing the base-medium, or subjecting it to any sort of bath, of course, may depend to a great deal on the use to which the final inhalant is to be put, so that the consistency of the bath may vary accordingly for different cases. It should therefore be understood that the basemedium in the form it enters through the opening 26 is not necessarily always of the same consistency.

The whole compartment 21 is filled with a filter-medium, such as wood-wool, by which the base-medium is further purified and prepared, a screen 28 being arranged at the further end of the compartment by which the filtering-medium is retained in the compartment,

A fan-housing 29 connects with the filter compartment, and a motor-driven fan 3d draws the u purified and prepared base-medium through the connection 3| to bring it into the passage or channel 32.

Fan-housing and filter-compartment are easily accessible by the openings covered by the removable cover-plates 33 and 3d, facilitating a cleaning and proper maintenance for the different operations and uses that the apparatus may be put to.

Any number of distributing-outlets may be provided for the channel 32, such as indicated at 35, 35a, and 35b.

These distributing-outlets serve to bring the base-medium into contact with any medicaments, stimulants, or any other desired or required ingredients, the channel 32 serving as an entrance manifold for the containers containing the medicaments.

Fig. 3 illustrates means by which such outlets may be most favorably controlled.

A connecting conduit 36 of a valve-housing 31 corresponds in cross-area with the opening 3", a central tubular body 38 traversing the end of the conduit 36, there being an aperture 39 by which the base-medium may pass into the inside of the body 38. V

A tubular valve 49 is turnably disposed in the body 38 adapted to shut off the passage through the aperture 33. This tubular valve is nevertheless provided with a cooperating aperture 4|, by

which the base-medium can pass into the inside of the tubular valve when the aperture 39 and the aperture 4| are brought into alignment. The tubular valve is furthermore provided with a bypass 42 by which the base-medium can pass when no mixing with any ingredients is desired, as will be more fully described later on.

Within the tubular valve 40 a central valve 41 is turnably disposed and provided with a conduit 44, serving as a communication downwardly into an attached container, while an aperture 43 serves to align with the apertures 4| and 39.

The operation or use of all these apertures, conduits, and by-pass may be best understood from the illustrations in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Fig. '7 illustrates the position of the tubular valve 40 by which any and all outlet from the channel 32 is shut ofi as far as the aperture 39 is concerned.

In Fig. 8 all three apertures 33, 4|, and 43 are brought into alignment for full opening of the passage into the central downward continuing conduit 44.

The manner in which this passage can be adjusted to a more or less checked condition is illustrated in Fig. 9, the central valve being turned away from alignment so as to leave only a comparatively small passage between the aperture 39 and the central conduit 44.

Of course, a similar condition could also be 0btained by a turning of the tubular valve with respect to the aperture 39 While all these adjustments with respect to the central conduit 44 result in a bringing of the base-medium downwardly through the attached tube 45- until the base-medium escapes from the lower end of the tube 45 as indicated by the arrow 46; Fig. 10 illustrates the tubular valve turned so as to bring the by-pass 42 into alignment with the aperture 39, whereby the basemedium may pass directly into the top portion of the valve housing 36, at the point indicated at 48, without being subjected to any mixing in the container, the base-medium being in such a case simply allowed to pass upwardly in the direction of the arrow 43 and into the channel in the top portion of the valve-housing by way of the arrow 53, to escape through the opening 5| into the channel or discharge manifold 52, which are also indicated in Fig. 2.

The attached container 53 may hold any medicament, stimulant, or other ingredient in suspension in any suitable medium, so that the base-medium may pick up and become the carrier of particles of such medicaments, etc., by passing through the container holding such medicaments, etc., so held in suspension.

The same sort of bafiie 24, already described, is also provided in this container for the same purpose as described,

Inasmuch as any number of containers 53 may be provided, quite a variety of medicaments, etc., may be picked up by the passing base-medium, to result in any desired or required inhalant.

The top view of Fig. 1 should readily make it understood how any number of containers may easily 'be arranged and it should also make it clear that containers can easily be reached individually, for varying ingredients, to be supplied to different inhalants, quickly at any stage.

Furthermore, from the illustration in Fig. 6, it should be understood that additional ingredients may be injected into the apparatus, by simply removing the tubular valve 4|] and central valve 41 from the arrangement as illustrated in Fig.

3, and substituting a simple plug 54, with any sort of tubing 55, controlled by a plain cock 56, so that any ingredient supplied through this supplemental attachment may be made to pass directly into the channel 52.

For instance, an anesthetic may be required, which may readily be administered in a simple :manner through this apparatus.

On the other hand, during an anesthetic, a stimulant may be required quickly, which could be given most readily through this apparatus by any additionally connected container, fully Within the control of the attending doctor, besides being so readily applicable through the form of inhaler.

A further important feature with an inhalant is quite commonly the temperature, which can easily be controlled in the manner illustrated in Figs. and 11.

After an inhalant has been made ready by having been passed through the several containers described herebefore, it passes out of the channel 52 in Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrow 51 by way of the outlet 58, the channel 52 being cross-partitioned at this point as indicated at 59, to direct the inhalant through an attached heating device, described more fully later on, to reenter on the opposite side of the partition 59, ready to escape from the apparatus as indicated by arrow 60.

Having been properly prepared as to consistency and temperature, the inhalant is then ready to be delivered from the connection Si, by means of any hose and cup, or similar device of any make to be had on the open market and not shown here.

A temperature gage is indicated at 62 in Fig. 2, applied to the outlet connection Bl, into which it may extend in any customary manner.

Since some clients might expel the inhalant, particularly children, and, to prevent any mischief to the consistency of the inhalant, a lightly affected check-valve 63 is inserted into the outlet passage, this valve being so sensitively overbalanced as to quickly close in case that the inhalant is blown in the reversed direction.

A cartridge type of heating unit 66 is disposed in the container 65, attached to the valve-housing 66, so that the inhalant must pass around the heating unit as it passes in by the direction of the arrow 51, and out by the direction of the arrow 66, the valve-housing 66 being correspondingly cross-partitioned as indicated at 59a.

A rheostat 61, inside of the heating-housing 66, is controllable by the knob 68, outside of the same housing, the heating device being connected to wires 69 that lead to one of the main switches 70 on the switch and fuse-box H on the rear of the apparatus as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

The heating cartridge is preferably provided with heat radiating fins 12 to increase the heating capacity as the inhalant passes around the heating element.

As the inhalant is whirling around the heating element it may tend to separate any particles of still liquid form or such particles that may have been condensed by any cause.

Any still liquid particles, or any condensed matter at this point is easily drained into the attached container 65.

The filter 21 is also provided with a drain as indicated at 13, to prevent liquid particles as much as possible from entering the passing basemedium before joining any other ingredients.

A baffle 24 is preferably also provided in the last, or heating, container, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5.

Along the front side of the whole apparatus and below the several containers a drip pan is arranged as indicated at M, by which any drippings from the several containers, or from other parts of the apparatus may be caught.

The upper channel 15 in the main body of the apparatus, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, serves to hold the electric wires for the motor control and for the heater control, the motor Wires being indicated at I6.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In inhalation apparatus, the combination of a container adapted to contain a medicament; walls forming a discharge passage in communication with the interior of said container; walls forming an entrance passage; a tube supported from the top of said container and extending downwardly into said container; a valve housing associated with said container and having a cylindrical hole therein and an aperture through said housing communicating with said entrance passage and said hole; a tubular valve member rotatably fitted in said hole, said valve member having an aperture therethrough which upon rotation is adapted to be registered with the aperture in said housing to connect said entrance passage to the interior of said tubular valve member, and. said valve member having an irregularity in the surface thereof forming with the inner wall of said housing a passage in communication with the interior of said container in such manner that when said valve member is rotated to bring said irregularity opposite said aperture in said housing said entrance passage is connected to the interior of said container; and a second valve member rotatably disposed within said tubular valve member and having a passage therethrough, one end of which is in communication with said tube and the other end of which is adapted upon rotation of said second valve member to be brought into communication with said aperture in said tubular valve member.

2. In inhalation apparatus, the combination of: a vertically mounted enclosure with front and rear walls spaced apart; partitions within said enclosure transverse to said walls, forming with said walls a plurality of passages, one of said passages constituting an entrance manifold and another of said passages constituting a discharge manifold, and still another constituting an inlet passage having access to atmospheric air; a blower taking in air from said inlet passage and discharging it to said entrance manifold; a plurality of containers each supported from one of said walls by a supporting member having a first passage therethrough connecting with said entrance manifold and a second passage therethrough connecting with said discharge manifold; liquid in each of said containers containing a medicament in suspension; a tube in each of 'said containers extending downwardly into said liquid; and valve means associated with each of said containers adapted in one position to permit air from said first passage to pass through said tube and said liquid out into said second passage, and in another position to bypass air from said first passage into said sec- 50mg passage without any passing through said JOHN R. WOLFE. 

